Damn.
-
The true gift of the Gods to Naohide Zen'in. That was the true nature of Mahoraga. He was a divine monster, made solely to utterly exterminate the enemies of my ancestors. But, because he was a monster, I had thought that Heracles' existence would hold an advantage over him, because the most prominent Son of God King Zeus was also the greatest monster hunter of legend.
I was wrong.
When their fists met, bone and muscle were crushed together in a disgusting mash. The whiplash made their destroyed arms flail backwards impotently, torn and shredded.
Heracles roared. His axe cleaver came rounding about to slice the Divine General in twain. That was accomplished. Only, the white flesh of the final Shikigami would join together the moment the blade passed through.
Then, suddenly, Mahoraga twisted his hand. He managed to get a hold of Heracles' wrist. Their broken arms regenerated at exactly the same time, and the two giants began punching each other again.
This time, there was no breaking of muscle and flesh.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
Every collision was louder than the last, sounding like someone had begun firing artillery rounds all around us. The soil was rent, stone was shattered, a crater that grew with each hit formed around them, and the terrible gusts of wind ripped out trees, roots and all.
I cast a glance at Gilgamesh.
The King of Heroes was... somehow wounded. Blood stains marked the side of his torn shirt, and there was fresh blood seeping down the side of his head. Yet, he was so taken with the 'show' that he outright ignored his injuries. He stood there, entirely unperturbed by us, and the damage the two were unleashing in their first exchange.
"Do not think I have forgotten you, mad hound."
Those words were not for me.
Cu Chulainn grinned. "Thanks for the compliment."
The Irish demigod glanced at me, then turned his attention back to the fight. He was moving before I noticed.
"Might as well help out!"
"Lancer, he's not under my control-"
Lancer had crossed the distance long before I finished my words. He stepped on Mahoraga's shoulder and jumped into the skies before coming down with his spear aimed for Heracles' neck.
Mahoraga grabbed him with his sword hand.
"Huh-"
And slammed him into Berserker's face. The mad servant had his focus broken just enough for Mahoraga to grab his extended fist. As I watched in awe, the Divine General spun on his heel and lopped Heracles into the clear night sky.
The golden eight-handled wheel behind his head creaked and groaned a moment. Then, it turned.
"...What's he adapting to?"
So far as I could see, they were nearly equally matched physically, maybe he was even superior-
My thoughts broke when an immense tremor threw me off-balance. Mahoraga shot through the skies right after Berserker and broke his fall with a punch to the face that sent him flying into a nearby mountain. When Heracles crashed into it, the mountain exploded under his weight and newfound momentum. Great big rocks rained into the forest, decimating the wildlife.
Wind swept across the land.
It became very apparent that we were easily going to get caught up in the crossfire.
I found Cu lying inside the crater, coughing for breath.
"Go to your Master, and make sure she's safe."
I didn't wait for his answer, bringing my hands together in the sign for Nue. The man-faced bird erupted from right beneath my feet. He took a quiet look around, gently taking Shuwen into his mouth before spreading his massive wings and finally took to the skies.
I was already used to the sudden pressure that came with such a massive creature taking flight.
Mahoraga stood atop the drum tower in one corner of the Einzbern castle. The sash around his waist snapped in the air. It was supremely evident that the Divine General was enjoying the battle. His grin was yet to fade even slightly.
Suddenly, a massive chunk of the earth came flying at him. He inhaled deeply, bloating his stomach, then spewed... concentrated air. The chunk was smashed into a million pieces that broke through the stone walls down below.
Was that what trebuchets did back in ancient times?
Heracles followed right after. He lashed out with his sword mid-leap. Mahoraga met him with a swing of his own. Gashes tore across both of their muscled chests. Heracles sliced again. Mahoraga blocked the swing with his bare hand. Berserker pulled his cleaver back and cut down in an impressive flurry that rent the flesh of his prey.
Heracles roared and dragged Mahoraga under with him. The drum tower began to collapse under the force of his swing. Mahoraga seemed to use Heracles' own swing against him by letting the sword turn his suddenly impregnable body until he was spinning around and punching his foe right in the face.
Heracles blew out of the castle. Nue changed directions abruptly, just in time to avoid getting taken down with him. Berserker jerked about in the air to land on his feet. I turned around just in time to see the Divine General easily step out of the hole in the wall and plummet down to the ground.
Trees upon trees came flying at him.
He did not even deign to them.
The wood exploded into splinters against his chest, against his head, against his stomach. He merely walked forward, unbothered. The wheel behind began to groan and creak.
When it turned, I knew instinctively that something about the Divine General had changed.
He raised the Sword of Extermination to the fore, then his grin split his face up until his ears. He held the sword to the side and... he cut. The swing left all the trees in the general direction headless.
A deep gash appeared across Heracles' chest.
He raised his head to roar aloud.
Mahoraga disappeared.
The next thing I knew, his sword was jammed down Berserker's throat. The gleaming metal had passed right through him, and come out his back. He brutally jerked it one way, then the other. Heracles punched out... It was a futile strike.
Mahoraga had already adapted to... to what?
He already had the mystery and power to bypass Heracles' absolute defense.
The Divine General's greatest strength was not the raw power he came with, nor the queer Divine Construct tied around his right arm with simple white bandages, smithed by the Amatsumara himself.
It was the ability to adapt to any and all phenomena given some time.
Heracles punched out again, harder this time. The Divine General kept grinning as he shoved the blade further down. Abruptly, he tore it out of his side. Heracles collapsed to his knees, sliced in twain from the heart up.
Then, it happened.
As expected, Heracles' body began to stitch itself together. The blood flowed back into his veins, and the sinewy flesh started joining together anew. Mahoraga grabbed the demigod by the shoulders and pushed him down to the ground.
The wheel turned again.
He smashed down one fist after the other, burying them both deeper and deeper into the ground.
With each blow, the destruction spread.
More earth cracked.
More trees fell.
At some point, he even stopped punching and started smashing his very body into the ground with his foot.
I couldn't possibly tell how many times Heracles had died, or if he even died at all. All I knew was, every single time Heracles regenerated, Mahoraga's wheel would turn anew, and the destruction would increase exponentially.
Shaking my head, I flew down to where Nue had spotted Bazett and Cu, leaving the two monsters to battle beyond. The sounds of battle never died down, even as we landed next to the semi-conscious master of lancer and her guardian. He was battered and bloody, and leaning against the tree for support.
"What the hell is that, lad?"
"My trump card."
He was going to come after me any moment now.
"Nevermind that, where's Illyasviel? Gilgamesh?"
"The King of Heroes buggered off already and... for the girl." The Hound of Ulster whipped around and flung his spear into the seemingly empty forest. "Creepy shite. Remember, never trust people that don't look their age."
A pained scream came from the dark forest.
"That was what you wanted, right?"
"Yeah-"
Even if that was the plan, I didn't know what to feel for it.
"-But I'd have appreciated a warning."
She had intended to kill me. It was only right that she died for it in turn.
"Won't her servant die easier now? Well, hey, look at that, I missed."
"...You did it on purpose," I sighed.
He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "She may not be one, but she looks like a kid."
In the end, it was stupid to expect anything else from him. I doubted he was a hundred percent serious even in a situation like this considering his legend.
My thoughts broke when the air swished. The moment I turned, a ravine opened up in the earth metres away from where I stood. It carried on until it reached a mountain, then sliced even that in two halves that separated like someone had pulled them apart.
...
Shaking my head, I crouched down next to Bazett, "You alright?"
"...Mm." She gave a weak nod. "W...Won't he come for you next?"
"Well," I sucked in a tired breath, "It'll only be near-death... so I guess I'll be fine as long as I get mana."
The Zen'in crest would keep me alive and even heal the damage so long as I had the mana.
The moment I finished my words, the world grew immensely cold. I heard him long before I saw him. My heart sank when he finally came into view. He was walking my way like it was a casual stroll through the forest.
Heracles was nowhere to be seen.
Shuwen opened his eyes and stood up. Though one of his arms was entirely useless, he still stepped in front of me. Cu stood by his side, even more battered.
I placed my hands on both their shoulders.
"Go grab Illyasviel... I don't want Kirei getting to her."
"Enji-"
"No point in dying for nothing. He won't kill me."
There was no way they were winning against a Mahoraga that had overcome Heracles himself, especially not in their current states.
Calmly, resigned to fate, I stepped past both servants.
Getting beaten to near-death wasn't so bad if the trade-off was Berserker-
It was then that Gilgamesh chose to step in. I never even saw him coming... until one of his ludicrous-looking swords was tearing through the air, aimed for my chest. He was standing at the edge of some flying throne right behind Mahoraga.
The sword did not reach me even though it was too fast for me to react to right then. No, someone else took the hit for me.
"Shuwen-...!"
Warm blood sprayed onto my face and chest.
"That... You're satisfied with that, are you... not? O' King of Heroes?"
"Hmph! I suppose so. One life will do. After all, I am entertained! Kuhahaha!"
I immediately brought my hands together to summon the Round Deer. The Gate of Babylon opened right above me. Two swords shot out to impale my forearms and pin them to the ground.
"Do not make light of my generosity, mongrel. One life I shall certainly take."
I did not know if I merely groaned or cried as I pulled the hands in an attempt to still form the sign. What I knew was, the Gate of Babylon encircled us. Dozens of blades impaled my mentor as I watched, and the King of Heroes laughed to his heart's content.
Beyond us, Mahoraga turned to look up at him.
Gilgamesh merely chuckled, "Not today."
And then, he was gone.
The Divine General began moving once again, slow as ever.
Cu Chulainn grit his teeth.
We'd won... We'd won... then, what the fuck was this?
W-Why was my mentor's corpse lying before me?
"No...! No. Go for Illyasviel. Don't... fight him."
The Hound of Ulster begrudgingly lowered his head and walked away to retrieve the Einzbern Master.
Mahoraga stepped closer and closer.
...What the fuck was wrong with Gilgamesh?
What was even the point-
The Divine General looked down on me.
He was a cold, unforgiving creature made for battle. I could not expect mercy for him.
I only grit my teeth as he reeled back his fist.
Then, faster than I could even see, I was lying on the ground. He'd hit me so hard the swords were ripped from the ground.
My chest felt so hot... but my gaze remained fixed on Shuwen.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Bazett crawling my way.
God... seriously...
I came back.
I even thought to spare Illyasviel.
...Wasn't I doing good?
Then, why?
Why had that fucker killed my mentor?
There was... There was no reason to.
None.
Why was this world like this?
I covered my face with a hand and...
A warmth pressed against my side.
"It's not your... Mana, you need mana, right, Enji?"
-
Hope u enjoyed.
You can find 7 chapters ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
One less, but that's cause I'm writing rn.